Adjustable couches



Feb. 18, 1969 H HUNTER ETAL ADJUSTABLE COUCHES Filed 0m. 20, 1965 INVENTORS HENRY D HUNTER ALFRED K. OWEN AGEN Feb. 18; 1969 H. n. HUNTER E AL ADJUSTABLE COUCHES m 2 t e e h S 5 6 9 l O- 2 L c 0 d e .b i f HENRY O. HUNTER ALFRED K. OWEN AGEN Feb. 18, 1969 H N E ET AL 3,428,307

ADJUSTABLE COUCHES Faled 001. 201 1965 Sheet .3 of 5 w AGEN United States Patent 3,428,307 ADJUSTABLE COUCHES Henry Douglas Hunter, Horsham, and Alfred Kennedy Owen, Crawley, England, assiguors to North American Philips Company, Inc., New York, N.Y., a corporation of Delaware Filed Oct. 20, 1965, Ser. No. 498,408 Claims priority, application Great Britain, Nov. 6, 1964,

45,322/64 US. Cl. 269-322 Int. Cl. A61g 13/00; A47b 11/00, 1/02 2 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This invention relates to an adjustable couch for use, particularly, but not exclusively, as a medical couch for use for deep ray therapy apparatus.

In deep ray therapy it is necessary to be able to direct the rays from a suitable generator to any part of a patients body and it may be necessary to treat a number of areas of a body while keeping the patient in one position. Thus it may be necessary to treat the patient both from the front and from the rear during one course of treatment. Previously, difilculty has been experienced in treating the underside of a patient lying on his back since part of the apparatus supporting him, forming the couch on which he is lying has at times obstructed the treatment ray. This problem has occurred often in the past particularly with regard to linear accelerators due to the fact that it has not been possible to rotate the X-ray head about the patient through a full 360. By the use of a rotatable gantry having an X-ray head mounted on an arm connected to an annular member mounted for rotation through 360, this problem has been eased. However, it has not been fully overcome and it is an object of the present invention to provide an adjustable couch suitable for use in deep ray therapy where the couch may be adjusted so that the patient to be treated is positioned on the couch so that no part of the couch structure impedes the rays path when directed from below the patient.

According to the present invention there is provided an adjustable couch comprising a base member, a support member connected with the base member and a plurality of panels associated with the support member. The support member comprises two portions connected together in tandem along the length of the couch, one portion comprising a central column lying substantially on the longitudinal center line of the couch and the other portion comprising a closed frame defining a central area of the couch.

The support member may be arranged to be moved relative to the base member and the panels may also be movably connected to the support member. Alternatively the panels may be removed completely from the support member. The base member preferably includes an upper and a lower float table which are adjustably mounted so as to provide a longitudinal and lateral movement of the couch relative to a given datum and position. It is preferable that the couch is mounted on an adjustable raising and lowering means so that the height of the couch may be varied to suit the particular requirements of each case. In order that the invention may be readily understood a preferred embodiment thereof will now be de- 3,428,307 Patented Feb. 18, 1969 "ice scribed with reference to the five figures. of the accompanying drawings in which FIGURE 1 shows an isometric view of the couch in an open position, FIGURE 2 shows the couch in a closed position, FIGURES 3 and 4 show alternative open positions for the couch and FIGURE 5 shows a part sectional view of the part of the couch and the moving mechanism therefor.

Referring to the drawings and particularly to FIGURE 1 thereof, the couch comprises a base member 1 having a support member 2 comprising two frame parts 3 and 4 mounted therein. The frame part 3 comprises two rectangular frames (one said frame being shown by broken lines within the member 1) arranged in tandem and these frames have on each side runners 5 which engage in slots 6 in the interior of the base member 1 so that the support member 2 may slide relative to the base member 1 and in the plane of that member. The other frame part comprises a central spinal column 4 projecting in the general plane of the member 1 and attached to one end of the part 3. The central spinal column 4 of this part has two runners 7, 8 situated one on each side and at its end remote from the part 3 it carries a U-shaped member 9 to which is attached a supporting angle 10 carrying a head rest 11 for the patient.

The base member 1 is supported on an upper float table 12 and a lower fioat table 14 which are provided for allowing relative movement of the couch. The lower float table 14 is supported by a column 15 connected to mechanical lifting means (FIGURE 5).

Three panels 16, 17, 18 are removably connected to the support member 2, two of which 16 and 17 are slidable. The panel 16 is provided on its underside with grooved members 19 which slide over the runners 5 so that the panel 16 is able to be moved along the frame part 3. The panel 16 also carries on its underside at the end of the panel nearest the head rest 11 brackets 20 which engage with runners 7, 8 attached to the column 4 so that the panel 16 is supported on the column 4 as well as on the frame part 3. The panel 17 has 2 sets of brackets 21, 22 respectively at each end which extend under the panel 17 in a manner similar to the brackets 20 to engage with runners 7 and 8. These brackets enable the panel 17 to be moved along the length of the support column 4. The third panel 18 is not slidably mounted but is fixed to the U-shaped member 9 in such a way that it can be detached if necessary.

When the couch is being used for treatment of a patient in which the X-ray apparatus is positioned above the couch, the couch can be in the closed position as in FIG- URE 2. However, if it is desired to treat a central portion of a patient then the frame part 3 is slid out of the 'base member 1 to a position similar to that shown in FIGURE 1 so that the treatment can be given from below through the gap formed by the support frame 3 which projects out of the base member 1. The patient is supported then at the base member 1 and on the panel 16, 17 and 18. The sides of the frame part 3 are sufiicient comfortably to support the patient in this position without any part of the couch obstructing the central area of the patient which is to be treated.

FIGURE 3 shows the position of the panels of the couch when it is required to treat part of the patients back other than the central area. In this position the frame part 3 has been withdrawn from the base member 1 so that one of the frames project from the base member (as in FIG. 1) and the panel 16 has been slid along the runners 5, 7, 8 to leave the gap 25, between the panels 16 and 17. If treatment is to be given at a higher level of the patients back then the panel 17 is slid along the runners 7, 8 so that it is in the position as shown in FIG- URE 4 of the drawings so that treatment can be given through the gaps 26 between panels 17 and 18.

If any area less than the maximum provided on the underside of the patient is to be treated, then the gap between the panels can be adjusted by varying the amount of the support member 2 which is slid out from the base member 1 thus giving maximum support to the patients body. It is seen that the couch is provided with means by which any part of a patient is able to be treated without there being any obstruction to the treatment caused by any part of the couch itself.

In FIGURE 5 of the drawings a part sectional view of the column and the float tables 12, 14 is shown to illustrate how these can be moved relatively to adjust the height of the base member and its longitudinal and lateral positions.

The column 15 is surmounted by a cap comprising a columnar part 31 which fits over the top of the column 15 and a horizontal support part 32. The parts 31 and 32 are rotatable relative to the column 15 about the center line thereof by releasing a brake and manually moving the parts to the desired position. The brake is then reapplied to hold the cap in this position.

The support part 32 has four rollers 33 of which two are shown in the drawing, rotatably mounted on it. The float table 14 is of longitudinal channel structure as shown and the base of the channel rests on the rollers 33. The float table 14 is able to be moved manually in its longitudinal direction on the rollers 33 to alter the position of a patient in the lateral direction of the couch. In FIGURE 5 the float table 14 is shown in one extreme position with one of the rollers 33 against the edge of the table. In order to hold the table 14 in a desired position a brake is incorporated in the assembly to clamp the table 14 relative to the cap.

The table 14 carries on its upper side mounting brackets 34 for rollers 35 which support the float table 12. It will be noted that the rollers 35 are at right angles to the rollers 33 so that the movement of the table 12 will be at right angles to that of table 14 and in the longitudinal direction of the couch as shown in FIGURE 1. The float table 12 is movable manually with respect to the table 14 and is able to be held in its desired position b a releasable brake.

In order to raise and lower the couch the lifting column 15 is provided with a mechanical gear driven lifting mechanism set in the floor of the treatment chamber in which the apparatus is used. The lifting column is secured at its lower end through a bearing 41 to an internal column 42 having a nut member 43 engaging on a threaded drive spindle 44 extending up inside the column 15. The column 15 moves within a lined well the Wall 45 of which has bearing pads 46 internally connected thereto for positioning the column. The wall 45 also carries a key member 47 engaging in a groove 48 of the column 15 to prevent any rotational movement of the column relative to the wall.

The lower end of the drive spindle 44 is connected to a drive shaft 49 of a gear box 50 driven by an electric motor 51. To raise or lower the couch the motor 51 is switched on to rotate in the appropriate direction and causes through the gear box 50 and drive shaft 49 the drive spindle 44 to rotate. As the spindle rotates the nut member 43 engaging therewith is moved along the spindle causing a corresponding movement of the column 15.

What we claim is:

1. An adjustable couch comprising a base member, a support member connected with the base member and a plurality of panels associated with the support member, said support member and said base member being movable relative to each other, and said panels being movable relative to said support member, said support member comprising two portions connected together in tandem along the length of the couch, one said portion comprising a central column lying substantially on the longitudinal center line of the couch and the other said portion comprising a closed frame member defining a central area of the couch.

2. An adjustable couch according to claim 1 in which said base member includes an upper float table relatively shiftable with respect to a lower float table, for longitudinal and lateral movement of said base member relative to a vertically movable support column.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,357,050 10/1920 Hathorne 108 l 14 2,693,796 11/ 1954 Warner 128-71 FOREIGN PATENTS 739,507 11/1932 France.

LESTER M. SWINGLE, Primary Examiner.

JAMES F. MCKEOWN, Assistant Examiner.

US. Cl. X.R. 

